


Devil's Children

by CeruleanShockwave



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Gen, M/M, Okumura Brothers Friendship, Other, Rin and Yukio are an amazing team, Teacher!Rin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-25 00:44:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14367252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeruleanShockwave/pseuds/CeruleanShockwave
Summary: What if Yukio hadn't been weak in the womb? What if both twins inherited Satan's powers? Shiro decides to make both Rin and Yukio exorcists from an early age. They become the perfect team, each backing up the other. But when Yukio makes friends with the Kyoto Trio on his first day at True Cross while Rin's on a mission, it'll be a dangerous game keeping their secret.





	1. One

 

"Hey! I'm Okumura Yukio. Looks like we're seatmates this term." Yukio smiled at the boy who sat next to him. The boy had dark brown hair with a blonde streak cutting through the middle.  _Rooster, Rin would've called him,_ thought Yukio amusedly.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Suguro Ryuji." the boy replied, smiling slightly.

_Suguro? As in Tatsuma Suguro? Must be._

"Would you like to have lunch with me? This  _is_ the first day, and people tell me I should be more outgoing." Yukio asked.

"Sure, why not?" Ryuji agreed. "Can I bring my friends?"

"You have friends already?" Yukio arched his eyebrow. "Though please do bring them."

"Oh, no, they're my childhood friends." explained Ryuji. "They're in this class, actually. The pink-haired guy is Renzo Shima, but you can call him Shima. This is Konekomaru Miwa." He pointed to Shima, who sat behind him.

_Shima and Miwa, huh... these three are the Blue Night kids!_

"Hey!" Shima said, smiling. "Nice to meet you, Yukio."

"Same here," Konekomaru chirped.

"Likewise, Shima-kun, Konekomaru-kun," Yukio returned their smiles.

"So what's your favourite colour, Yukio?" asked Shima.

"Seriously, Shima?" Ryuji deadpanned.

"What? At least I  _asked_ him something!" retorted his friend.

"It's blue." Yukio chuckled. "Yours?"

Shima pointed to his hair. "Why'd you think I dyed my hair that colour?"

"Because you were sick of the stereotypes that boys can't use pink and all that shit? Because you wanted to be noticed? There could be a million reasons, you know." Yukio replied. "It isn't necessarily that you like pink."

"Oy, Bon, looks like our new friend's just like you, mm?" Shima teased. "Don't forget about us when you're off with him!"

"Idiot," huffed Ryuji, or Bon, as was his apparent nickname.

"Who, me? That's impossible when I'm practically always around you. Some of that smart stuff has to have stuck in my brain!"

"You sound like-" Yukio stopped abruptly. He missed Rin too much to talk about him.

"Like who?" pressed Shima.

"Like my dad," he replied.  _Good save_ , he congratulated himself. "He's just as goofy and crazy. So, I take it you're here to train as exorcists?"

"How did you - ?" spluttered Ryuji.

"My father told me a lot about the Blue Night in general. He referenced your family names in particular." Yukio replied.

Ryuji's eyes filled with hate and anger. Konekomaru's face fell.

 _I think I said the wrong thing_.

"I, uh… sorry."

"Don't – don't be," said Konekomaru awkwardly.

"I guess I should just stop talking now. I've always had a mouth too big for my own good, you know," Yukio muttered dejectedly, turning back to his desk.

 _I_ _always_ _say the wrong thing! Rin is so much better at making friends. I wish he were here._

"Hey, chill," Shima piped up. "It's okay. We'll be your friends, if that's what you're worried about!"

"You don't have to," Yukio murmured.

"We don't. But we will," shrugged Ryuji. "It isn't like you're the son of Satan or something."

 _You have_ _no_ _idea,_ thought Yukio wryly.

"Thank you," he said shyly.

"It's okay," replied Konekomaru, returning the shy smile.

Yukio felt euphoric. He'd finally made some friends!

* * *

Over the next week, the four became really close. Yukio found himself spending less time poring over books of medicine and more time being dragged around campus or participating in a joint study session with his three new friends – Yukio was terrible at algebra, while Ryuji could not make heads or tails of geometry (it was too simple, he argued), and Shima and Konekomaru just wanted to improve their grades.

But one thing Ryuji seemed to keep rehashing was the question of why the Exorcist Cram School hadn't started class yet. He wanted to become an exorcist as quick as possible, then kill Satan.

Yukio knew that that was impossible.

Why?

Because he and Rin were going to do it.

Shaking himself out of his daydream, he attempted to regain his focus. He really needed to listen, it was  _algebra_!

Again, he wished Rin weren't out on a mission – he'd been away for three weeks now! Rin was amazing at algebra, and was usually the reason Yukio passed.

Yukio sighed, and did his best to listen to the teacher.

"Therefore, x equals 6," droned Mr Mato.

Suddenly, Shura rushed in, not bothering to acknowledge the teacher. She addressed Yukio directly.

"Yukio! Hospital wing,  _now_! It's-"

Yukio was already on his feet, pulling his case out of his bag. He had a sinking feeling that he knew what it was. "He's back?"

"Yeah, and – it ain't good!"

"I'm coming," he told her, and muttering an apology to the teacher, rushed out.

* * *

Bon frowned as a pink-and-blonde-haired woman rushed in, yelling, "Yukio! Hospital wing,  _now_! It's-"

What the hell? From the woman's tone, it seemed like they wanted Yukio to go check on a patient. Why would they need a  _fifteen-year-old_ to do that? Surely there were more qualified people?

Yukio rose calmly, pulling out a small leather case from his bag. He seemed to know what was going on. "He's back?" he asked the woman.

"Yeah, and – it ain't good!"

"I'm coming," replied Yukio, muttered an apology to the teacher, and rushed out.

What the  _hell_ was going on? Why did they need Yukio?

Bon scowled, making up his mind to grill his friend once he returned.


	2. Two

Rin walked along the street, Kuro curled up inside Kurikara's bag so as not to seem too conspicuous. He mulled over the details of the mission in his head.

_Exorcise a high-level demon – Astaroth-kin, species/name unknown – from the body of Iris Brown. Age – 48. Appearance – brunette, brown-eyed, around 5'6, moderately plump. Address – 409B, Hounslow Road, Hurn Court, London_

"Ne, Kuro," he muttered to his familiar, "When'd you think we'll be done with this mission?"

 _Two days, I reckon? With_ your  _strength, Rin, easily one. But then again, we do tend to be a bit... destructive,_  echoed Kuro's voice in his head.

"True that," chuckled Rin.

In a few minutes, they reached the specified address. Rin rang the bell.

A tall brunette woman, skin pinched and flies buzzing around her, answered the door. Two large horns curved upwards out of her hair. Her once-plump cheeks were sunken, and she exuded a strong smell of rot. Coal tars flittered all over the apartment.

 _Oh crap,_ thought Rin.  _It's not just any demon..._

_It's Astaroth._

"How have you been, Little Prince?" smirked the woman. "Let's play."

* * *

Which is how Rin ended up coming to True Cross half-dead. He had managed to exorcise Astaroth from the woman's body, but it had been too late to save her – she'd been possessed for too long. He had been chased by so many demons all the way back to Tokyo that it was a wonder he was still alive.

Rin cracked one eye open to find Yukio leaning over him, hands blazing with Satan's flame. The blue fire, for some strange reason, always healed any wounds either twin might have. Yukio put it down to the fact that they were Satan's children – the flame recognised them as its master and, accordingly, healed them.

Rin agreed. Yukio was usually right about these things.

"Hey," he croaked.

Yukio's eyes snapped up to meet Rin's. "How are you feeling, nii-san?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"I've been better," Rin tried for a smile. "But I'm good. I can go teach tomorrow."

"Nii-san, you should rest... but I won't be able to stop you whatever I do... and this'll heal you mostly anyway. The demon healing should take care of the rest throughout the night. But you're staying here tonight. And no going to regular class tomorrow. Okay?"

"Got it, got it..." groaned Rin.

Yukio smiled. "I've got to get back to class, nii-san. Please stay in bed. I'll know if you don't." His last words were followed by a chilling glare that Rin almost shivered at.  _Almost._

* * *

Yukio ran back to class. It'd be lunch by now – he'd have to ask Ryuji and the others what he'd missed.

Carrying an egg wrap he stopped for a minute to buy at the cafeteria (Rin being out of action) he dashed to the place where his friends usually sat, only to find two glaring faces.

Namely, Shima and Ryuji. Konekomaru was just frowning.

"What. The. Hell?" Ryuji was the first to speak. "Why'd the pink lady want you?"

"Well..." Yukio hedged, trying to come up with a good excuse.

"You see, I've been interested in medicine from a pretty young age. I've decided to become a surgeon along with being... you know, so Shura-san often fetches me when an exorcist comes back to True Cross all bloody and beaten. She says it's good practice if I want to be a surgeon." The best lies always have an element of truth, Yukio supposed. Wasn't a bad yarn, judging by the understanding, ah-I-get-it-now looks on his friends' faces.

"So, can I sit?"

Shima moved over to create a space, and Yukio sat down on the grass.

"Did you hear Cram School starts tomorrow?" said Ryuji excitedly.

"Yeah," responded Shima, pulling a face. "So not looking forward to it. More work!"

"I don't really care so long as we start learning," shrugged Konekomaru. Yukio wholeheartedly agreed.

The four quickly slipped into their usual routine of chatting and joking, and Yukio soon found himself laughing like he never used to.

It was nice having friends.

(He almost forgot to ask about what he'd missed - luckily Ryuji filled him in on his own, passing him his notes so Yukio could understand.)

* * *

Yukio took a deep breath.

This was the day he started teaching at the Cram School.

He had taught Rin dozens of things, so why was he so nervous? It must have been because he was about to walk into a class full of kids his own age, who already knew him as their  _classmate_ , and do a lesson on exorcism.

He tucked his tail around his body, doing just as Rin had told him, and sighed in relief. All hidden.

Now what to do about his ears? He brushed some hair forward, then surveyed the results in his compact mirror (he liked to be prepared, don't judge). Perfect.

His teeth? They weren't too noticeable – some people did have slightly sharp canines, after all...

Taking another deep breath to steel himself, he walked into the classroom and set his books down.

Dozens of familiar faces blinked up at him uncomprehendingly. He noticed Shura at the back, who waved lazily and grinned.

"Hello. I'm Okumura Yukio and I'll be your Demonology teacher this year," he said loudly, a hint of nervousness creeping into his brain.

Ryuji, Shima and Konekomaru stared. Sure the rest of the class was staring too, but not as hard as these three!

Yukio sighed mentally. How to deal with this?

He'd just have to tell them the truth (omitting a few important facts, of course) after class.

* * *

Yukio held the vial up and put a drop onto the trembling girl's finger.

Noriko Paku, her name was. He half-smiled. He didn't expect her to last a month, but who knew? Maybe she'd turn out to be the best of them all.

She jerked suddenly, as if seeing a ghost, and knocked the vial out of Yukio's hand.

_Oh, God, no..._

A hobgoblin jumped down from the rafters, followed by another, and another,  _and another._

Damn it, he was so screwed. His first class, and it  _had_ to go like this, didn't it?

He pulled out his gun, muttering a few choice words under his breath that he'd heard Rin use.

* * *

"Look, guys," Yukio started. "I've been training to be an exorcist since I was seven. My adoptive dad - he's the Paladin. Shiro Fujimoto. And, well, I accidentally found out about exorcism because I eavesdropped on one of his weird meetings that I was curious about, so he decided to train me. I'm Middle First Class, in case you're wondering."

Ryuji's jaw dropped. Shima and Konekomaru just looked surprised.

Yukio sighed. "I'm - I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I wasn't supposed to."

"You must be the youngest ever to pass the exam," said Ryuji in awe. "A genius."

"Eh... not so much," Yukio shrugged modestly. "But yeah, I'm not that bad on-field."

"Then - then please help me. Help me defeat Satan. Help me stop his darkness." asked his friend earnestly.

Yukio looked into his dark eyes, seeing only resolve and readiness there.

_We could... we could actually do this together. Me, Rin, and Ryuji._

Yukio grasped Ryuji's hand firmly. "I will.  _We_ will."

* * *

Neuhaus sighed. "Looks like your Okumura-sensei will be taking this class, since I've been borrowing all of his so far."

Bon turned around and stared confusedly at Yukio, who seemed all too comfortable in his seat. "But - you've never missed a class yet!"

Yukio stretched lazily, an unfathomable smirk on his lips, as a tall black-haired boy with blue eyes that shone like the sky walked in. He wore a black coat and carried a large red bag slung over his shoulder.

"Ne," started a girl - Izumo Kamiki, Bon realized - "Isn't Yukio-sensei supposed to be teaching?" She shot said boy a look.

"Neuhaus-sensei never said  _which_ Okumura," Yukio grinned.

"Anyway, I'm Rin Okumura, and I'm gonna be your self-defense teacher for the rest of the year." The man at the front - Rin, apparently - flashed a blinding white smile that had almost all the girls (and some of the boys) swooning. "But you can call me Rin."

Bon refused to admit that this guy was hot. Like, really hot.

No way in hell.

So he put his 'Stone Face' on - as Renzo had so kindly dubbed it - and stared straight ahead, tuning out Rin-sensei's good looks and focusing on his voice.

Dammit, how could any person be  _so bloody sexy?!_ Bon wanted to scream.

This teacher was going to be the death of him.


	3. Three

Bon shook his head, irritated. He peeked at the seat to his left, noting that it was  _still_ empty.

Ugh, was this guy ever going to show up? Didn't he know the importance of studying well?

To his right, Shima was nattering on to Yukio about something. The Okumura boy was listening carefully. You could practically  _see_ Shima's joy at being paid so much attention by his crush.

 _So damn obvious,_  Bon thought.  _Shima finally realized that boobs aren't everything, huh? Strange._

_Anyway, is this guy ever even planning to come to school?_

As if on cue, a tall, black-haired boy slipped into the seat beside him.

Bon started when he realised it was Yukio's brother; the Defense teacher, Rin.

He'd have to confront his friend on that.

"Yo," Rin flashed a grin. "I'm Rin. Didn't catch your name in class yesterday! Though you seem pretty smart."

"Um, I'm Ryuji. Ryuji Suguro." Bon, almost against his will, blushed faintly.

Rin whistled sharply. "Whoa, Yukio never told me you were this cute! Hey, what's up with that?" he called to Yukio, who shot back, "Yeah, because my duty as a brother is to tell you about boys I don't even know if you'll consider cute."

"Well, it is!"

Bon swore right then and there that this guy was Renzo's new best friend.

* * *

Yukio tapped the board with his chalk, rambling on about plants and why they were important.

Rin yawned. All of this crap, he knew. He was only here to watch his younger brother stutter his way through teaching a bunch of hard-headed idiots...

Oh, wait. Yukio had been doing that for most of his life.

Rin would cheerfully accept the fact that he was most certainly a hard-headed idiot...

He'd even declare it proudly for everyone to hear.

Rin's focus snapped back to the lesson when he heard Yukio mutter, "Ugh,"

His blue eyes zeroed in on the demons swarming his little brother, but he made no move to interrupt.

Yukio was perfectly capable of dealing with a stupid bunch of Coal Tars, after all.

Rin yawned again and zoned out till he heard the bell ring.

Then he walked out of the class and hid behind a pillar, smirking to himself.

He couldn't wait to see how Yukio would, ah,  _enlighten_  his friends.

Rin shivered at the very Mephisto-like thought that passed through his brain.

 _I've been spending too much time around that clown,_  he thought with a shudder.

_It was his idea too that I –_

He was shaken out of his thoughts by a loud yell.

"What. Was. That?!" screamed a voice Rin had consciously committed to memory.

Rin smirked.

The cutest boy in the entire school, yelling at Yukio?

Rin couldn't wait to see his angry face! He bet it was even hotter than his scowl.

* * *

Yukio opened his mouth. "I can explain-"

Bon cut him through angrily. "The hell? How many secrets do you have? The fact that they wanted you to help treat someone, and you're our teacher, and you have this super-hot older-"

His eyes widened in alarm, and he flushed brilliantly.

"I mean, you have an older brother whom you never even told us about, and who's also a teacher!" he backtracked.

Renzo smiled a small smile.

Bon was in love. It was kinda cute, really.

Sure, Renzo agreed that Rin was pretty damn hot, but he only had eyes for the younger Okumura.

"Yeah, Rin won't shut up about how cute you are," Yukio laughed.

That sound, in itself, made Renzo want to grin like an idiot and drag Yukio off to somewhere, preferably a closet.

He settled for a cheeky smile that wouldn't seem out of place at all, considering the not-really-façade he'd built, though his cheeks was burning... with rage at Yukio for not telling them anything, of course. Definitely not a crush. Nope. No way.

"Shima?" Bon asked, waving a hand in his face. "You okay?"

Renzo barely heard him, still lost in thoughts of Yukio Okumura and him in a closet. Preferably with swollen lips.

"Shima!" Konekomaru yelled. "Boobs!"

Renzo heard a distant echo that sounded somewhat like 'boob'. What even was that? It sounded familiar…

Stupid cute best friends turned teachers wrecking his rep as a non-sappy womanizer and making him forget what boobs were.

"Wow," muttered Bon, giving Konekomaru a perplexed look. "He must be really out of it!"

Yukio took advantage of his friend's surprise to disappear around the corner.

Only after Renzo had come out of his stupor did he notice that the younger Okumura was gone.

"... Bon?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's Yukio?"

* * *

_The previous day_

Rin ran a hand through his hair.

"Yukio..." he moaned into the phone. "What do I do?"

"What do you mean, what do I do?" Yukio asked, amused.

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" Rin sat straight up and shot his twin an unseen glare.

"What do you mean, what do you mean, what do I mean?" Yukio said innocently.

Rin continued to glare. "Shut up!"

"I could do this all night," he smirked.

"Well, I can't. It's about tomorrow. I'm gonna  _teach,_ Yukio!"

"Yeah, so what? I survived," Yukio said, quirking an eyebrow.

" _Did_  you now?" Rin made his tone sarcastic. "Because I'm pretty sure your empathetic side didn't! The kind, caring otouto-chan  _I_ know would never, ever let his nii-san down in a situation like this!"

"Where'd you learn such a big word, nii-san?" Yukio asked.

"Meanie," pouted Rin. "Just so you know, I'm pouting."

Yukio scowled. His brother's pouting face was too damn cute to resist.

"Nii-san…" he warned, the image of Rin's puppy face entering his brain. His brother's already large blue eyes would fly even wider, and he would give Yukio the look of a kicked puppy.

_How the hell did I miss this? Damn, I wish he wasn't coming back tonight!_

"Come on," Rin pleaded. "Please?"

Yukio caved, raging at Rin on the inside. That face… he swore to God that  _that_ would be the thing that killed Satan (and probably everyone else on this earth).  _No one_  could bring themselves to so much as  _think_ of harming Rin when he had that face on, damn it! Yukio would bet all his money that not even the Lord of freaking  _Demons_  himself would be able to withstand it.

_Present_

Ah, the puppy face. Yukio briefly wondered if he could get Rin to use it on Mephisto, just to get a rise out of the ass.

On second thoughts... yeah, no. Rin would be all too ready, but it would somehow backfire on Yukio himself.

Yukio frowned. He  _hated_ his life. Well, at least he had Ryuji and the others.

Wait...  _Ryuji._

Rin already liked the guy. And he'd be perfect test material!

Yukio's eyes brightened as he concocted his plan.

Tomorrow was going to be so funny.


	4. Four

Rin, clad in only a pair of loose black board shorts, shook his head.

"Nope. No way." he said firmly. "Yukio, it would ruin my chances with the guy!"

"I'll set you guys up if you do this for me," Yukio offered, drawing his knees up beneath him. He was sat very comfortably on his bed, and he had no plans of getting up any time soon.

"He already finds me annoying! I need to show him my best game, and playing a prank isn't really going to help! And I remember the last time you tried to set me up. It. Was. A. Nightmare!" Rin lamented, tugging on an aqua-blue shirt.

"Okay, so I'm not the best at setting up people," Yukio acknowledged with an inward cringe – Rin was the one who had gone through it, but even Yukio, the perpetrator himself, had seen that it had been a disaster. "But come on! When have I ever wanted to play a prank?"

"That is true." Rin seemed to be considering it.

"Please, nii-san?" Yukio begged, knowing exactly what to say to push Rin into doing it. He put his hand to his heart and threw the other one out, speaking in an overly dramatic voice. "I'll be crushed if you don't. People already say I've grown up too soon – if you deny me this, I won't be able to ever even experience the joys of childish fun and immature hijinks-"

"Cut the crap, drama queen," Rin caved, letting out a long-suffering sigh. "I'll do it, I'll do it! But I never want to hear this kind of bullshit out of you ever again, Yukio, do you hear me? Seriously, immature hijinks?" He muttered the last few words under his breath in an exasperated tone.

"Yes! You're the best big brother ever!" Yukio cheered, knowing this would only serve to further push Rin into complying with his plan.

"Seriously, when have you ever wanted to be a kid?" Rin said in exasperation. "I'm starting to think I liked the old you better."

"You know you love me…" singsonged Yukio.

"Do I now?" A hard stare came his way.

"You seem to, at least."

"Well, then I've clearly made some bad decisions in my time." groaned Rin.

"Not going to dispute that one." Yukio was enjoying this way too much. It was fun being on the other side for once! This must be why Rin was always teasing him!

"You're an ass."

"I can't possibly be one, I'm sentient after all,"

"Oh, shut up!" Rin threw a pillow at Yukio, who ducked expertly.

"I'm turning in, nii-san. Thanks for agreeing, and good night," Yukio said cheerfully, lying down before tucking both pillows securely under his head. He knew there would be no way Rin would come near him – he kept his guns under the pillows, and let's just say Rin had had a (not very enjoyable) prior... encounter with them.

The older Okumura sighed ruefully. He'd have to go pillow-less tonight.

No way was he going near Yukio's head when he was asleep ever again. He did value his life, contrary to popular belief!

So, with another rueful sigh, he flopped onto simply balled up an extra comforter and tried to pretend it was his über-comfy pillow.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Rin woke to the sound of his phone ringing in that annoying way. (Why had he ever let Mephisto near it? Stupid idiot changed the default ringtone to Jingle Bells, and Rin had no idea how to change it back to normal. Yukio wouldn't help either.) He let out a groan as he picked it up. Lucky Yukio. Damn kid slept like a log. He wouldn't wake up if he was caught in the middle of an earthquake. Unless you actually screamed in his ear that there was an earthquake.

**_Dad_ **

**_Accept | Decline_ **

_It's three am, what does he want?_  Rin thought in irritation. He hit accept and held the phone up to his ear.

"What is it, old man?" he asked grumpily.

"Rin, listen to me very carefully."

Shiro's voice was unusually serious, and Rin sobered up instantly, all traces of sleep or grumpiness gone.

"What is it, Dad?"

"I have a mission for you and Yukio. There are a bunch of demons creating a ruckus near the Bamboo Forest in Kyoto. They're a mix of Lucifer's, Astaroth's and Amaimon's kin. Try to find out why they're causing the disturbance there, of all places. It could be nothing, or it could be very serious. Use any and all weapons at your disposal."

"Dad, does that mean..."

"Do what you have to. That includes your flames. And be careful. I hear that they're being led by a pack of about fifteen Naberius."

"Um...  _what_?!" Rin's jaw dropped. Fifteen Naberius? What the hell?

"A whole pack. Yes. Most likely they were created aeons ago and are now working under the command of Astaroth, or maybe Satan himself. Take caution, Rin. I want you two to be safe. I can't have you dying on me, now can I?" The words were said light-heartedly, but Rin knew all too well what being an exorcist meant. You could die anytime, anywhere.

"Right. Not dying. On that." he joked weakly.

"Later, Rin. Remember to file the report this time, okay?" There was a teasing tone to Shiro's voice, but Rin sensed the worry lying under it.

"You bet. Later, dad!" Rin hung up and walked over to Yukio's bed.

"Wake up," he yelled into his twin's ear. "The dorm is on fire!"

Yukio shot straight up, face rumpled with sleep, but eyes sharp with alarm. "What – how – where's the fire?!"

"Chill," Rin laughed at the expression on his face. "I'm joking."

"Why did you wake me up then?" Yukio whined. "It's three in the morning, Rin! You know I hate getting up early, but six is at least a human time for some people, so I can roll with that. But it's practically midnight. And it's a Saturday too!"

Rin dropped the grin. "We've got a mission. Dad called. He says that we've got to go to the Bamboo Forest in Kyoto. There's a pack of around fifteen Naberius heading a horde of other demons, mainly Lucifer, Astaroth and Amaimon's kin. We're supposed to get there and find out why they're causing a ruckus."

Yukio's reaction was akin to his own when he had heard the news.

" _What_?" he asked disbelievingly. "Fifteen Naberius? You've got to be shitting me!"

"I shit you not." Rin shook his head gravely. "That's what Dad said. He also said to use any and all weapons we've got. That includes... you know."

"Wow." Yukio muttered. "It's that bad?"

"Must be. Now come on, let's get ready!" Rin bounced off the bed and shrugged off his blue shirt that he'd slept in, switching it out for his trademark black shirt, blue jeans and black leather jacket. He slung Kurikara over his shoulder and picked Kuro up from his position curled up on the floor.

Yukio had changed too, slipping into a clean white shirt and a pair of black jeans and sliding on a dark blue jacket. His guns were holstered at his hip, carefully hidden by the jacket, but Rin's trained eyes, so used to seeing Yukio wear these clothes, picked out the weapons instantly.

"No trench coat?" Rin asked with a smirk.

"Nope," Yukio said with a shake of his head. "We're going to have to go through a city, right? So I'll have to look like a normal teen. Plus I like these clothes. Same reason you didn't wear one, right?"

"Yeah. I only ever wore that thing to look cool while teaching anyway." Rin stuck out his tongue.

Yukio laughed. "Should've expected that from you. Ready?"

"I can't wait." Rin said eagerly. "I miss fighting with you!"

* * *

Bon rubbed his sleep-crusted eyes and put his hand out, searching blindly. "Ugh, where are you," he yawned, reaching for the bottle of water he always kept on his bedside table. He'd found that a sip always helped when you woke up in the middle of the night.

His fingers brushed a cool, curved plastic surface, and he let out a pleased grunt, grasping the bottle, sitting up in bed proper, uncapping it and taking a long, rehydrating drink.

"Bon?" murmured Shima groggily. "You okay? It's, like, three in the morning,"

"Yeah, all good." Bon replied. "Go back to sleep,"

"Follow your own advice," Shima shot back, and Bon heard his bed creak as he turned over, presumably to continue sleeping.

Bon recapped his water bottle and placed it on his little table again. He lay back down, but somehow, the water wasn't working. Drinking some usually made him fall back asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but today… he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that coursed through him.

_Something's not right… is that a sound I hear? Coming from the abandoned boys' dorms? But… no one lives there! Except for Yukio and Rin…_

Bon peeked out through the window, and his eyes widened when he saw a light on in the abandoned dormitory. He frowned. "Renzo, do you hear that?"

The pink-haired boy had raised himself up on his forearms and was looking at Bon curiously, though the drowsiness was still there. "Hear what?"

"Listen," Bon hissed.

Faint sound wafted out of the abandoned dormitory. It sounded like two people were talking. The boys couldn't make out exactly what was being said, but they both had the same thoughts.

_Yukio and Rin… we've got to go help! They could be in danger!_

Shima was already on his feet, pulling K'rik out and sliding a shirt on (he slept shirtless). Bon reached for his bazooka, but Renzo stopped him. "No time! Just grab these," he hissed, handing Bon a pair of knives.

Bon gripped them securely in both hands and opened the door quietly so as not to wake Konekomaru. His friend had always been a heavy sleeper, but Bon didn't want to take a chance.

They both forgot the most important fact of all: Rin and Yukio were both trained exorcists and could probably handle themselves easily; but they themselves were untrained Exwires – though still good in combat – and would have a far harder time against any intruders.

* * *

The two boys slipped quietly down the corridors and out of their dormitory. They carefully walked down the path to the old boys' dorms.

"Do you think-" murmured Shima, gesturing to the light that could be seen from the window.

"I don't know," whispered Bon back. "We should just wait out here."

Shima nodded in acquiescence and slipped around the side of the old, ramshackle building. He held up K'rik in a defensive position, and looked furtively around. Bon slid into place behind him and muttered, "You trying to copy James Bond?"

"Very funny," replied Shima. "Really, you should be on a comedy show."

"Oh, shut up," Bon whispered.

They waited for fifteen minutes in silence, trepidation eating up their insides. What was wrong? The intruder… were Rin and Yukio all right?

Suddenly, Bon felt something cold and sharp touch his back. His eyes flew wide and he turned around.

"What the…" he gasped. Shima had turned too and was gaping at the sight in front of them.

For there stood a fairly tall man, dressed in some outrageously weird clothing. His hair was bright purple, he was wearing a top hat, he clutched a knife (that must have been what Bon had felt), and he looked absolutely and completely crazy. A mischievous grin decorated his features.

"Let's play a little game," he told the boys, grin widening.

Next to Bon, Shima gulped audibly.

"Dude," he muttered. "That's the headmaster! Sir Faust!"

* * *

Yukio snatched the ticket from Rin's hand, climbed onto the train and dashed to the back, sliding into the window seat in the last row and placing his bag on the seat next to him. The train was practically empty, it being four in the morning. They were very lucky to even have found a train to Kyoto at this time. Rin followed after paying for both his and Yukio's tickets, an amused smile on his face.

"Some things never change, huh?" he asked rhetorically, passing Yukio's bag back to him and sitting down.

"I like the window seat," Yukio said petulantly. "The view is nice."

"Why shouldn't you? It's kind of cute, actually. I mean, you only ever let your guard down like this when you're with Dad and me," Rin said, the amusement on his face changing into fondness. "It reminds me that you're still the younger one, that you're still fifteen, a kid really. You know?"

"Actually, I don't; I'll just take your word for it." Yukio said with a smile of his own. "Also, I'm not cute. And you don't get to call me kid. We're the same age!"

Rin put his arm around Yukio's shoulder. "I'm still older by a whole half-hour. And you are cute. It's my job to think that as a big brother!"

"Well, if you want to be the big brother that much…" Yukio trailed off, a glint in his eye that Rin did not feel at all comfortable with.

"Oh, no. No, no, no. I am not going to do it." he declared.

"But you don't even know what it is!" whined Yukio childishly.

Rin caved, the fond smile widening. Anything was worth it to see his little brother act like the kid neither of them ever got to be.

"All right, what do you want?"

Yukio grinned and began. "Well, for starters, I want to begin planning that prank I wanted to play on my friends – your puppy face is really instrumental in that one, and…"

Rin listened peacefully. It didn't matter that this mission could be dangerous. If he was going to die, he wasn't going to waste his remaining time with Yukio being serious and worried about what was to come. He was just going to enjoy his time with his little brother.


End file.
